Alabama has become the basketball school I always dreamed of

When I was a student at the University of Alabama during Mark Gottfried’s time, there was some success, but it never reached the level I dreamed of. I understand that football will always be number one in Tuscaloosa, but after seeing so many “football schools” achieve great success on the hardwood, I didn’t understand why the Crimson Tide couldn’t join the ranks of the Florida Gators , who won two National Championships when I was in school, or the likes of Ohio State and Michigan who reached national championship games.

The most important part of building a great basketball program at the level that can be considered a “basketball school” is finding the coach who can take the program to the next level. Gottfried had some success in Tuscaloosa, but it was never consistent enough. I thought there was too much talent to barely make it into the tournament and only had major success in the tournament once.

Sometimes I still wonder how neither Anthony Grant nor Avery Johnson were the guy to make the show a consistent winner. Honestly, after leaving Avery Johnson, I wasn’t sure we’d ever find the man who could turn Alabama into a basketball school as close to what I envisioned.

Now comes Nate Oats, and in his first six years he has exceeded my wildest expectations, achieving three Sweet 16s and our first Final Four appearance. His seventh year in Tuscaloosa meant that expectations were higher on the court than on the gridiron.

The 2024-25 season has started about as well as expected, but the most impressive part of starting the season is going to Chapel Hill and decisively beating the Tar Heels. A win over North Carolina is one thing, but three in a row is something I don’t think many long-time Alabama fans can imagine. My life expectations have been exceeded over the last six-plus years, and now it’s time to cut the nets in April. The foundation has been laid and now the expectation is to become a championship basketball school.